Like the candle left flickering…

‘Nowadays, when it rains here, the waters rise fast and it becomes flooded,’ the driver tells me as we speed through the national road between the cities of Puerto Princesa and Aborlan in the province of Palawan in the central Philippines.

This, says Patty Ortega, widow of a Filipino journalist and a staunch anti-mining advocate, is largely because of the extensive mining operations that had been ongoing in the province for decades now.

It is a scorching summer afternoon and we are driving to the burial ground of her late husband, Dr Gerry Ortega, a journalist and staunch anti-mining advocate in the province.

In broad daylight, in the morning of 24 January, a hired gunman put a bullet on Gerry’s nape and walked away. Gerry was busy checking out bargains in a second-hand shop not far from the pet store that he owns. He came from a nearby radio station where he has a morning programme. For hours, the gunman had been waiting for Gerry under the shade of a tree on the other side of the road.

Patty and the rest of Gerry’s family and friends believe that his staunch opposition to mining activities in the province and corruption in the local government caused him his life. Up to the time of his death, Gerry’s voice boomed on the city’s airwaves, criticizing mining operators and the politicians who take bribes from them.

His death shocked the people of Palawan and sowed fear among local journalists critical of corrupt politicians. But for Patty, who vowed to continue the advocacies that her husband died for, says she will not be cowed. She lights a candle on Gerry’s grave and tells us it is time to leave.

After our visit to the cemetery, Patty and her children attend an exhibit opening of artists who believe in protecting the environment. Through painting and poetry, the artists pay tribute to Gerry and his anti-mining crusade. ‘No to mining in Palawan,’ reads a petition being circulated by the artists. They are gathering 10 million signatures.

‘Have you put your signature?’ Patty asks me.

I read and I sign.

‘We ask the Philippine and Palawan governments to say no to mining in Palawan so we can protect one of our last remaining treasures,’ the petition reads.

The petition also said that an existing law states that in the province, all types of natural forest, areas above 1,000 meters elevation, peaks of mountains or other areas with very steep gradients, endangered habitats of rare species should be fully and strictly protected and maintained, free of human disruption.

‘Yet mining has been taking place in Palawan. Both the granting of mining permits and new applications are increasing even in identified core protection zones. Old-growth forests are being cut down, water sources are being polluted, ancestral lands are being taken over and communities’ wishes are being ignored,’ says the petition.

With the signatures, the anti-mining advocates hope that their campaign would be able to save the forests of the province.

It is already dark. Patty bades the people goodbye. She has another meeting, she says. It’s been a busy time since Gerry’s death. A room in her house, in fact, had been turned into a ‘war room’ where she meets with lawyers and concerned individuals who help her in the case.

Indeed, like the candle that Patty left flickering on Gerry’s crypt, Gerry’s fight is definitely not over.

In terms of the motive, it might be multi-faceted. True, the same political barkada are the same dudes approving mining applications and are supposedly getting kickbacks. But they are also the selfsame culprits who bagged billions from general funds and the Malampaya funds. Truth be told, they weren't contented, despite the billions, they borrowed billions more from 3 banks (well within Joel Reyes' term). Also the same troupe who agreed to the unconstitutional interim agreement re: Malampaya Natural Gas shares, a shady deal with GMA. Last thing I heard, this agreement has a case pending in the SC (although we know where they usually stand when it comes to anything GMA). And Doc Gerry helped in making sure that Joel Reyes lost last elections. Talk about hitting lotsa birds with one stone.

About the author

Iris Cecilia Gonzales
is a Filipino journalist and blogger. At present, she covers economic
news for a Manila broadsheet, but she also writes other stories
here and there. She has been blogging
since 2004 on various issues including women and children and human
rights. She is among the winners in the TH!NK 3 global blogging
competition organized by the Netherlands-based European Journalism
Centre.

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